Inside the New York Yankees clubhouse with MLB.com beat writer Bryan Hoch.

Remember this guy?

It’s been incredibly quiet on the Manny Ramirez front of late, which has caused a slowdown in the rest of the market as well. Talented big league hitters like Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn aren’t going anywhere until Manny finds a new home, as the pecking order plays out.

One place it does not appear Ramirez is headed will be the Yankees, despite the clamor that continues on the message boards, blogs and talk radio every day.

As part of our ongoing hot stove coverage, I was enlisted to try and break down why Manny won’t be in pinstripes next season, especially because the Yankees have already spent $423.5 million on CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. What would be another, say, three years and $75 million?

It might seem like Monopoly money to many of us, but all signs point that the Yankees won’t be pushing for Manny. They made their choice between Ramirez and Teixeira, picking a younger player who will help them at a position of greater need for a longer period of time. And yes, they intend to come in with a lower payroll in ’09.

Sure, they never officially bowed out on Ramirez – Hal Steinbrenner says all avenues remain open, and bits of Scott Boras’ history with the Yankees (Johnny Damon, Teixeira) seems to indicate the Bombers might get a last crack once more. Hey, they write the checks.

But Brian Cashman made his stance clear in this quote: “The decisions we made this winter would complicate my ability to be aggressive in the free agent market as we move forward. I’ll leave it at that.”

My best guess? Dodgers. The full rundown of Manny’s situation, as it relates to the Yankees, will be on Yankees.com and MLB.com later today.

Share this:

Like this:

22 Comments

I think the Dodgers as well– Manny likes the West Coast and I don’t think the Yankees would want to give him a long term contract after what happened in Boston. He might only get two years with the Dodgers.
-Elizabethhttp://redsoxgirl46.mlblogs.com

Manny looks like he’ll sign with the Dodgers. He doesn’t have any more suitors outside of the Giants themselves, so the doesn’t play right for Boras either. I see this thing dragginf out for a long time… could we see Manny retire? If it ever got to that point, it’d be alot easier for the Yankees to swoop in, when he’s down. Other than that, I say he’l’ end up a Dodger: 2 years, 45 Million with two option years? they sound like good terms.

Completely off topic here, but the ’09 season looks to be one of the greatest seasons ever. The competition is tight right now! The NLE with the Mets, Phillies and Marlins ( you know they’re threats to creep up on anybody who sleeps ). You’ve got the Yankees, Red Sox and the WS berth Rays, who will be battling it out all year. Rotation to rotation, lineuo to lineup, bullpen to bullpen. I think the AL East wil go down to wire, barring some major injuries to any of the clubs. I say the Yankees have the best rotation, the Red Sox have the best bullpen ( Saito, Okajima, Delcarmen is sick), and the Rays have the best overall lineup! They can beat you with they’re speed and now they have muscle, too!

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m anxious in waiting tfor nect season! Also, I’d like to see how Cano bounces back now that he’s adopted this new off-season training regimen; They say he’s in superb physical shape.

LET’S GO YANKEES! BTW, Smoltz would have been a great addition to the number five spot, but at least we don’t have to deal with the fact that he’s unhealthy, is 45, may not be in until May or June, if at all. Too many what-ifs for even such a bargain bin investment. Saito is another question mark, but best of luck to those athletes.

As for my Yankees, we’re nice and healthy, younger, and have a deeper bench. Our bullpen has always been our strength, and we’ve got some nice young talent in the minors as well, just in case Melky nor Gardner can mature into ML players. Romine, Jackson, Montero, and a couple of other good names I forgot. Oh, don’t forget Melancon, who could make the team next season ( maybe in ST ? ) We’ll see… can’t wait ’til February!

Don’t know where to get this out…can we please go after the reliever Russ Springer. He’ll be a bargain for the awesome stuff he brings to the table. I know he pitched in the NL, but I’m sure he’ll hold his own in the AL East…

it’s too bad the Yankees can’t get Manny…the Teixeira signing did make more sense so if they have to chose one or the other then they made the right choice…but if his price falls some more…i hope say it’s tooooooo good to pass up…and jump in and steal him…if that happens barring a rash of injuries the Yankees win the World Series.
the Yankee day dreaming Fanatic…

B Hoch,
Seeing a Dodgers’ jersey on this blog is sacreligious. That’s as bad as seeing Redsox photos on here. Oh wait, you did that last season.
What are bloggers’ opinions of Orlando Hudson or Orlando Cabrera as the Yanks’ UI? They could be signed for something reasonable since no one else is interested. Is Tom Glavine good enough for the 4 spot if Pettitte doesn’t come back?

Meta

The following are trademarks or service marks of Major League Baseball entities and may be used only with permission of Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. or the relevant Major League Baseball entity: Major League, Major League Baseball, MLB, the silhouetted batter logo, World Series, National League, American League, Division Series, League Championship Series, All-Star Game, and the names, nicknames, logos, uniform designs, color combinations, and slogans designating the Major League Baseball clubs and entities, and their respective mascots, events and exhibitions.